Electrically-heated liquid heater



Feb. 24. 1925.

1,527,707 s. SCHNEIDER ELECTRICALLY HEATED LIQUID HEATER Filed Sept. 5, 1921 Patented Feb.24, 1925.

UNITED STATES STEPHAN SCHNEIDER, OF HENNIGSDORF,

NEAR BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY

MIENE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICALLY-HEATED LIQUID HEATER.

Application filed September 3, 1921. Serial No. 498,389.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHAN SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the Austrian Republic, residing at Hennigsdorf, near Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electricall -Heated Liquid Heaters (for which I have led applications in Germany, April 15, 1920, Pat. No. 335244,

Sweden, March 10, 1921, Austria, March 15, 1921, Norway, March 19, 1921, Switzerland,

March 7, 1921), of which the following is a specification.

My. invention relates to liquid heaters and more especially to devices for producing hot water and steam which are operated on the electrode principle.

In such devices, the electrode is surrounded within the boiler by a tube of insulating material which is filled by the liquid to be heated, the column of liquid in the insulating tube forming heating resistance. Very large insulating tubes must be employed, particularly for high voltage, and

their manufacture is difficult and expensive. Besides, such an arrangement involves the drawback that the steam bubbles formed at the lower portion of the tube are compelled to rise through the entire length of the tube which reduces the area of the water column so that its resistance is higher than that of a. solid column of water. This forms the cause of shocks and surges so that the load per unit of volume of the liquid column is limited as otherwise the dpcration will-be very irregular and subject to great variations.

It has been observed that at a certain over-- load the steam bubbles aggregate and burst forth like an explosion so that the amperemeter will indicate very great load variations which often amount to a multiple of the normal load. These phenomena may be so intense that a bubble of steam forms about the electrode in which an arc is struck which will burst the insulating tube and produce short circuit. Besides, the entire arrangement is very large and requires large boilers in order to be able to arrange the electrodes, so that the boilers become very expensive and heavy.

According to my invention, now, I avoid these drawbacks by arranging on the electrodes, at certain distances, discs of insulating material such as porcelain in such a manner that one ring or a plurality of rings of liquid are formed intermediate said insulating discs which rings serve as paths of electric resistance. In this manner, the long porcelain tubes are discarded and replaced by" simple insulating discs which can easily be manufactured. They may be spaced apart by metal rings (electrode rings) arranged between them on the electrodes, which according to the load desired, may be more or less wide. The resistance of the heating element is in proportion to the numher and dimensions of the rings of liquid formed by the insulating discs. If, for instance, it be desired to increase the resistance of the liquid, the annular slots for the liquid rings formed by the insulating discs will be made narrow and the diameter of the insulating discs will be increased.

The arrangement of electrode systems constructed as described in horizontal or approximately horizontal position in the liquid container is of particular advantage for in this arrangement the steam bubbles forming in the several rings of liquid are able to rise or to be removed separately without causing trouble.

In the drawings afiixed to this specification and forming part thereof, a device embodying my invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 is an end view, and

Fig. 3 a sectional plan view of a liquid heater provided with my improved heating I device.

Referring to the drawings the electrodes 1; are inserted in the boiler a by means of insulating sleeves a. Insulating discs 6 of porcelain or an equivalent material are fixed on the electrodes 3) and are held apart by electrode rings d.

In this manner the discs form between themselves a liquid ring f or a plurality of such liquid rings which form resistance paths for the current. The current flows from the conductor 9 of one electrode 7) through the. electrode rings at and the liquid rings 7'' of that electrode to the liquid rings, electrode rings, electrodes and conductors of the other electrode.

1. An electric liquid heater comprising in.

combination, two substantially parallel electrodes and insulating means on each electrode for forming in the liquid surrounding said electrode annular liquid resistances.

2. An electric liquid heater comprising in combination, two substantially parallel electrodes and insulating means exchangeably arranged on each electrode for formingin the liquid surrounding said electrode annular'li uid resistances.

3. n electric heater comprising in combination, two substantially parallel electrodes and a plurality of insulating discs arranged on each electrode in spaced rela tion and forming between them annular liquid resistances.

4. An electric bination, two substantiallyv arallel electrodes, a plurality of insulatmg discs arranged on each electrode in spacedrelation and conductive spacing means on each electrode intermediate said insulating discs.

heater comprising in com- 5. An electric heater comprising in combination, two substantially arallel electrodes, a plurality of insulating discs arranged on each electrode in spaced relation and conductive spacing rings on each -elec-,

and conductive spacing means of smaller diameter than said discs on each electrode intermediate said insulating discs 7. An electric heater comprising in combination, two substantially parallel electrodes, a plurality of insulating discs arranged on each electrode in spaced relation and conductive spacing "means exchangeably disposed on each electrode intermediate said insulating discs.

8. A11 electric heater comprising in combination, a liquid container, a plurality of substantially rod-shaped electrodes extending substantially in parallel into said container and a plurality of insulating discs arranged in spaced relation on each electrode.

9 An electric heater comprising in combination, a liquid container, a plurality of substantially horizontal rod-shaped electrodes extending substantially in parallel into said container and a plurality of insulating discs arranged in spacedrelation on each electrode.

In testimony whereof I aflix my :signature.

STEPHANl SCHNEIDER. 

